NASA Says the "5 Second Rule" Is True (!)

If you've ever dropped a perfectly browned piece of toast on the floor, you know the undeniable pain you feel as you proceed to toss it in the trash. After all, everyone knows the "Five Second Rule" is just a hoax kids tell themselves to feel better about eating food off of the floor, right? Wrong! According to The Science Channel and Mike Meacham, an engineer at NASA, there's some truth to this quick save.

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You see, germs move at an incredibly slow rate of .0045 miles per hour. Meaning as long as your food falls on a dry surface, you should have plenty of time to snatch it up before it gets too infected. The catch? You shouldn't apply this rule to wet or moist surfaces, because that's where the bacteria you don't want to eat (like E-coli, salmonella, and listeria) thrives.

The one other discrepancy Meacham points out is you should really be shooting for a swift three second scoop-up, instead of five: "Moist foods left longer than 30 seconds collect 10 times the bacteria than those snapped up after only three."

Watch and learn more:

But in the end, of course, you should use your best judgement when eating food off of the floor. And when in doubt, toss it or leave your toast as a treat for your dogs (trust us, they'll love it).